Sahaita Inc.

Our Purpose

Usually, you only hear Bhangra music when you’re celebrating. This Friday, December 11th, we’ll be using it to raise awareness about the very reason bhangra exists: our farmers.

Millions of peaceful protestors, including elderly men and women, were met with tear gas, water cannons, and police batons while marching towards Delhi this past week. Braving harsh weather conditions and a global pandemic, they have set up camps on major routes and highways into the capital. They are demanding action and answers from a government that enacted three new agriculture laws without consulting the key stakeholders: the farmers themselves, who make up nearly half of India’s population.

Bhangra is a celebration of the harvest and the richness of all the land has to give. Without farmers, there would be no bhangra. As lovers of the music and culture, we must acknowledge our inherent ties to the farmer protests. We cannot, in good conscience, participate in the culture during the good times and turn our backs when the going gets tough. Bhangra music and our South Asian community has given Decibel a larger platform than we ever could have imagined. It is our responsibility to use it to its fullest potential, bringing awareness and amplifying the voices that need it most.

We also acknowledge our privilege of living in a democracy where peaceful protest is a protected right. We must always support those whose rights are being violated, as they have been in India this past week.

Join us this Friday from 7PM - 11PM for our fundraising stream. Our DJs will be playing Bhangra music the entire stream, celebrating and supporting our farmers. We would not be here without them.

Bhangra Livestream 

Our Supporting Charity
 
Sahaita started its Farmer Support Project in late 2015. Punjab, the breadbasket of India since the Green Revolution, is enduring an epidemic of farmer suicide. Most vulnerable are small farmers and farm laborers who might consider committing suicide as an escape from debt burdens or bad crop seasons. The affected families include spouses, elder parents, and young children who are left behind hopeless. Numerous cases have been reported in a majority of villages across Punjab. Sahaita acknowledged this crisis and resolved to lend a helping hand to the affected families.

Sahaita volunteers visited and assessed the needs of over 100 families in 8 villages from the Moga & Mansa districts. With the collaboration of Punjab Agricultural University researchers and village leaders, Sahaita developed a financial and educational support system to ensure that families are not overwhelmed by the loss of their loved ones.

8 Villages in Moga & Mansa Districts

Kokri Kalan
Nihal Khote
Bhaini Bagha
Burj Rathi
Akalia
Joga
Ralla
Aatla

Family support

- Cover cost of education for over 150 children (including school fees, books, uniforms and other child support), of which over 20 have completed undergraduate degrees in the last 2 years alone.

- If a child was sponsored through 12th grade, Sahaita will work to provide specialized guidance and exam-training for placement into their field of study or work. 

- Sahaita’s COVID relief efforts include providing food rations and other basic necessities

Prevention

- Work proactively to prevent suicides via grassroots mediation (coming soon)

- Crop diversification education seminars (coming soon)

- Fiscal responsibility/financial management education seminars (coming soon)

Considering the enormity of the situation we need your support to realize our goal of serving more families. Donate today or sponsor a family for as little as $500 per year. If families are open to communication, sponsors will be able to contact them directly and be their beacon of hope.